Regional Conservation Plan for marine mammals, sea turtles, shark and rays eye in 3rd Threatened Species Working Group Meeting

Regional Conservation Plan for Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Sharks, and Rays

3rd Threatened Species Working Group Meeting

Gorontalo, Indonesia, 20 September 2019

A recent peer-reviewed study estimated that about 100 million sharks are fished every year to satisfy a market for their fins, meat, and liver oil. More than half of shark species and their relatives are categorized as threatened or near threatened with extinction.

Furthermore, sea turtles have long been a popular food item. The hunt for turtles and their eggs, along with the loss of sandy beaches, marine pollution, and careless fishing methods, have all contributed to the decline of their populations.

In response to this daunting scenario, the Threatened Species Working Group (TSWG) of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) is developing a regional conservation plan for marine mammals, sea turtles, sharks, and rays during its 3rd Annual Meeting in Gorontalo, Indonesia. Development partners such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) joined the TSWG in this effort.

CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat Interim Executive Director Dr. Hendra Yusran Siry noted that the regional conservation plan aims to align with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. These global goals seek to prevent the extinction of known threatened species and improve their conservation status, particularly those most in decline. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species currently lists more than 19,000 species as threatened globally.

Dr. Siry further stated that the renewal of the CTI-CFF Regional Plan of Action sets regional actions toward addressing threats to endangered species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, sharks, and rays in selected seascapes.

Meanwhile, Dr. Andi Rusandi, Director of Conservation and Marine Biodiversity of Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), representing the Director General of MMAF, said that Gorontalo—the site of the meeting—is one of the unique places in the Coral Triangle region with rich biodiversity and is home to diverse marine creatures including marine mammals, sharks, and rays. He also noted that out of 195 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Indonesia, 12 are located in Gorontalo, one of which is Botubarani, popular for whale shark ecotourism.

“The local government of Gorontalo and Bone Bolango Regency have been working together to manage whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Botubarani Village. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries acknowledges these efforts and hopes that this collaboration can be well maintained in the future. We also kindly ask the local government to sustain the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in whale shark tourism,” Dr. Rusandi said.

He added that carrying capacity, monitoring, and research are top priorities and emphasized the importance of participation from multiple stakeholders and government sectors in conservation management to improve ecotourism governance.

The 3rd TSWG Annual Meeting was organized by the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat, hosted by the Government of Indonesia, and supported by the Provincial Government of Gorontalo, Bone Bolango District, WCS, CI, TNC, and WWF.